headlessCMS

Headless CMS is a back-end content management system that stores content and exposes it through an API, usually REST or GraphQL, to any front-end. Unlike traditional CMSs that combine content and presentation, a headless CMS is decoupled from its display layer, enabling content delivery to websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels.

Architecture and data model: it provides a content repository where administrators define content types and entries, plus metadata, media, localization, and workflows. Content is retrieved via APIs and rendered by front-end apps written with modern frameworks. Delivery is often CDN-backed and may use webhooks, versioning, permissions, and multisite support.

Advantages and limitations: benefits include multi-channel publishing, flexibility, performance, scalability, and a clean separation of concerns. Limitations include the need to build the front end, potential upfront complexity, reliance on API uptime, and a less integrated editing experience compared with traditional systems.

Use cases and context: common in websites, mobile apps, Internet of Things interfaces, digital signage, and e-commerce experiences that reuse content across channels. It often pairs with JAMstack architectures and modern front-end tooling.

Comparison with traditional CMS: traditional systems couple content management with presentation in a single platform, while headless systems deliver content via APIs to any consumer, offering greater flexibility but requiring front-end development and a separate hosting model.

Notable examples include Contentful, Strapi, Sanity, Prismic, GraphCMS, Directus, and Netlify CMS. Some are proprietary, hosted services; others are open source or self-hosted.